Press release -

Scotland raised its Game

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was a game-changer for Scottish tourism, VisitScotland has said.

The national tourism organisation believes the competition, which began exactly one year ago today (23 July), has left a lasting legacy on the country’s growing event tourism industry.

It follows the publication of a new post-games report, which reveals that The XX Commonwealth Games brought significant economic, sporting and cultural benefits to Scotland.

In relation to tourism, key findings in the comprehensive study include:
• Almost 700,000 unique visitors were attracted by the Games
• 1.5 billion people worldwide was the estimated global audience reached by the Games. Over 35 million people in the UK watched the Games
• Scotland’s reputation as a tourist destination improved – increasing in overall score and rank, according to the Nations Brand index. (NBI)
• International awareness of Scotland rose from 62% in 2012 to 65% in 2014. – the first time there has been an improvement in the Scottish data since it was first collected in 2008. (NBI)
• Almost a third of those visitors who had not been to Glasgow before stated that they ‘would definitely return to Glasgow  in the next 5 years’, according to the Visitor Impact Study Survey

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “As host of the ‘best-ever’ Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014 was a game-changer in what was a golden year for Scottish tourism.

“It was a chance to show the world that Scotland has the culture, food and drink, landscapes and welcoming people to be a serious contender when it comes to top tourism destinations. It also reinforced Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for events. In 2015 alone, we are hosting nine major golfing tournaments, the IPC World Swimming Championships, the World Gymnastics Championships, the Turner Prize and several more global sporting and cultural events.

“With the highest-ever combined spend by domestic and overseas visitors in a decade and a strong start to 2015, it is clear that the engagement and high profile of major global events, such as the Commonwealth Games, had a distinct impact on our important visitor economy.

“VisitScotland met a number of our tourism counterparts from across the Commonwealth during the Games. This exchange was inspiring for both parties as we considered the challenges and opportunities of building the visitor economy. Some of these other tourism organisations have since sought out our experience and expertise, including Queensland – hosts of the 2018 Games – and Alberta, Canada. Scotland continues to be a shining example of best practice across a number of fields.

“This year, Scotland’s tourism industry is building on the energy and excitement of 2014, using strengths, such as our food and drink and quality visitor experiences, to take Scotland to the world and enhance our reputation as a must-visit, must-return destination.”

‘An Evaluation of Legacy from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games: Post-Games Report’ was published by the Scottish Government.

Topics

  • Tourism

Categories

  • corporate communications
  • glasgow 2014 commonwealth games
  • eventscotland

Regions

  • Scotland

Notes to Editors

    • Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
    • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
    • The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
    • This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
      1. Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland       to visit different parts of the country
      2. Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
      3. Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international       opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One       Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
      4. Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
      5. Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
      6. Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
      7. Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
    • VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
    • The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
    • According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism      economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
    • For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
    • Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
    • For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
    • For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com


    Year of Food and Drink 2015

    • 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
    • Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
    • A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
    • For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland

Contacts

Chelsea Charles

Press contact Scotland’s Themed Years Communications & Engagement Manager Contact for media enquiries on: Scotland’s Themed Years (i.e. 2018 Year of Young People; 2020 Year of Scotland's Coast and Waters; 2022 Year of Scotland's Stories) 0131 472 2067

Carrie MacWilliam

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - National Contact for media enquiries on: Travel media (Scotland); Year of Young People; UK Marketing; Dundee; Fife; Angus; Perthshire 0131 472 2052

Amelia Whittaker

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - Regional Contact for media enquiries on: South Region; Edinburgh and Lothians; Food and Drink; Scottish Thistle Awards 01750 723806

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